


With your long arms try and just give some time

by Dividedpoet



Series: It'll be a long day of fixing. Make something else your mission. [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Darcy Lewis, Canon Compliant, Dry Humping, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), i think...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dividedpoet/pseuds/Dividedpoet
Summary: Straightforward as Darcy is, the words pop out before she can give herself a chance to filter them. "So, thinking we've reached the part of the night where I make you so uncomfortable you leave fast enough for one of those cartoon clouds of smoke to trail behind you." It isn't a question so much as a statement.Oddly enough, Bucky takes it in stride. "Actually, my feet are gonna spin really fast in place before the inertia shoots me down the hall," he says, pointing to his door about four away from hers.Darcy has difficulty suppressing a smile, which reflects back at her in the tension it seems to suck out of Bucky's body."Night, old man," Darcy says as she opens her door, rather than drawing out the conversation."Night, doll," Bucky replies quietly.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis
Series: It'll be a long day of fixing. Make something else your mission. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734715
Comments: 13
Kudos: 194





	With your long arms try and just give some time

**Author's Note:**

> AN: This part takes places before the first part. More of my chapter chunks split into stories. Thank you so much for the kudos and positive reviews I received on the first! They really mean so much to me.

They meet in Wakanda. Darcy, a former political science major turned spunky lab assistant. Bucky, a formerly brainwashed assassin turned superhero.

"Do supersoldiers really need coffee?" 

It's the only thing that comes to mind when she sees the man she's only ever known as the Winter Soldier, by reputation, for the first time in the kitchenette of one of the labs. He's holding a cup to his nose like it's contents have the power to heal all physical and emotional wounds.

He doesn't look up when Darcy speaks, which gives her the distinct impression that he heard her approach. "Not entirely sure, but it helps me feel human." The honesty of his answer catches her off guard. The way the stories about him go, he's shut down more often than not and more than a little terrifying to interact with.

"Is not feeling human a big issue for you?" The question is out before Darcy has time to filter it and she stiffens, eyes sliding closed. This is why she needs the coffee. She's an asshole in the morning before she's had caffeine. Silence takes over the room while Darcy gives herself a moment to contemplate the stupidity of her question.

Then the answer comes. "Sometimes." When Darcy lifts her lids, he's smiling at her from across the room. There's a softness to it, highlighted by the way his eyes crinkle at the corners. "I'm Bucky." The introduction is smooth and easy.

"Darcy," she replies without hesitation.

 _Bucky_ slowly nods, lowering his cup and dropping one hand so he's only holding the coffee with his left. "Oh good," he says. At Darcy's confused look he glances away, scratching the back of his head before raking a hand through the front of his loose hair to push it back. "Calling you 'the dame with the body like a coke bottle' was starting to make me feel like an old pervert."

Darcy's eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. "Yo, are you using old timey phrasing to hit on me?" Even to her own ears she sounds a mixture of incredulous and pleased.

Looking back at her, Bucky purses his lips. "Is it working?"

"I'm gonna be honest; it's not not working," she says with a small shrug.

There it is again. The smile that crinkles at the corners of Bucky's eyes, like he's just gotten a toy he wanted and he can't wait to play with it. Instead of responding with words, Bucky shifts over to the coffee pot and pours some in one of the cups sitting clean next to it. Swiveling around, he gestures to her with the freshly filled cup.

Darcy returns Bucky's smile with one of her own. "You put milk and sugar in that bitch and I might consider taking our relationship to the next level." Without hesitation, Bucky sets his cup down to go about doing just that.

The next level is lunch, dinner, and dessert every day. It's thinking about each other every morning. It's falling head over fucking heels like she's never done in her life. And it's good. Bucky looks at her like she hung the moon. He looks at her like she's precious and could smooth out all of his creases with the power of her fingertips so he could be a man again. Something about his gaze gives Darcy the impression it's actually possible.

She isn't naive, she knows most things can't be fixed by another person. But she thinks that maybe she could help be his hope sometimes, someone there to remind him how much strength he has that has nothing to do with serums and a vibranium arm. In return, maybe he could do the same for her.

It takes Darcy almost three weeks to realize Bucky is terrified to touch her. It isn't obvious at first. He doesn't jump away when their arms brush or maintain a wide berth. A couple weeks in she realizes that she simply doesn't know what his hands feel like. Which is fine. He's from a different time. On top of that, he was experimented on for about 70 years. The idea of intimacy would understandably make him nervous. The thing is, Darcy has never been chaste or timid about what she wants. What she wants is Bucky. How he smells, the planes of his body, the way he combs his goddamn hair back from his face. It drives her up the wall.

So, on the fourteenth night that Bucky accompanies Darcy back to her room after dinner, she looks up at him through her lashes and gives him her very best 'lean in and kiss me goodnight' head tilt. She knows he registers it, because his lips quirk up at the corners. Bucky lifts his left hand toward her face, as if he's about to brush the hair from her eyes. The hand stops halfway through its trajectory, clenching and unclenching, before he drops it unceremoniously to his side.

"Night, doll," he says instead, gracing Darcy with a small but fond smile. Then he turns, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walks down the hall to his own room.

The next night plays out similarly. Bucky is laughing as Darcy fills him in on the first time she met Thor. They'd gotten into the subject as they were finishing up a piece of cake in the dining hall. Now, walking next to him, Darcy isn't thinking about what will happen when they part ways. But Bucky seems to be because as soon as they reach her doorway his laughter, at the tale of Thor's mud wrestling on SHIELD commandeered property, dies on his lips. 

Straightforward as Darcy is, the words pop out before she can give herself a chance to filter them. "So, thinking we've reached the part of the night where I make you so uncomfortable you leave fast enough for one of those cartoon clouds of smoke to trail behind you." It isn't a question so much as a statement. 

Oddly enough, Bucky takes it in stride. "Actually, my feet are gonna spin really fast in place before the inertia shoots me down the hall," he says, pointing to his door about four away from hers.

Darcy has difficulty suppressing a smile, which reflects back at her in the tension it seems to suck out of Bucky's body.

"Night, old man," Darcy says as she opens her door, rather than drawing out the conversation. 

"Night, doll," Bucky replies quietly.

On the sixteenth night, over the course of dinner and conversation, Bucky almost touches Darcy four times. Every time, he catches himself and lets the offending hand drop. But it doesn't erase the intention. And it doesn't mute the desire on his face.

Stopping outside her door, Bucky stares at Darcy in a way that can only be described as longingly before he lets out a heavy puff of air. "'Fraid I don't trust myself, sweetheart," The sentence comes in a rush, as if he's worried he won't say it if it doesn't all tumble out at once.

Darcy gives herself a moment to genuinely consider the statement. Finally, she purses her lips. "Not exactly the most comforting thing I've ever heard, sure," she says thoughtfully. "But it's not the least. And you being weary has gotta be better than being with someone who thinks they have their shit together when they don't." She shrugs. "For the record, and take this with a grain of salt because hanging out with spies is new to me, I trust you." 

Bucky stares at her for a few moments before he slowly lifts his left hand to her face. He brushes a metal thumb across her cheek and then tucks her hair behind her ear. "It's the old timey phrasing that really drove that home," he comments softly with a wink.

Darcy lets her eyes flutter shut, feeling the chill of his prosthetic against her face. "See, it's all about meeting people where they are," she says, slowly opening her eyes again.

Bucky sweeps his finger down Darcy's cheek one more time before dropping his hand. After taking and letting out a deep breath, he throws his head pointedly in the direction of her door. "Get. Before I do something I shouldn't," he says, lips quirked up on one side. Darcy opens her mouth, intent on replying. "No," he preempts.

For some reason, all the rejection does is make Darcy laugh. She's still laughing when she opens her door and steps inside her apartment.

Things are easy with Bucky. He says what he means; there's no manipulation. Every movement he makes is purposeful, but not calculated. Which is a little surprising given his former line of work. But comforting nonetheless. He lets her teach him about the world, the way it is now. And in turn, he tells her about the places he's seen. It takes Darcy ten weeks to realize that most of the time Bucky thinks he's in a hibernation-induced dream caused by malfunctioning dopamine and serotonin receptors.

They've been dating in the claustrophobic environment cultivated by their place of 'employment' for a little over two months. Bucky is walking Darcy back to her room in the compound after dinner, fingers of his left hand threaded loosely through hers, when he blurts out, "They're gonna put me under," He uses his right hand to gesture to the back of his head, twisting like he's taking the lid off of a jar. "And do my last eval." Darcy translates the twisting motion to mean post-deconditioning. He's been nervous all evening in a way she hadn't seen him act before. As soon as he says that, Darcy understands why he's seemed so uncomfortable. "They're putting me back under," he repeats quickly before he starts chewing the skin on the inside of his cheek. "They'll, uh, they'll be using my activation words to see if they can push hi-well, see if they can push _me_. See if what Shuri's doing is working or if I need...something else." Bucky goes back to chewing the skin on the inside of his cheek and Darcy tries desperately not to think about where he could have developed that specific habit.

They angle to face each other as they come to a stop outside of Darcy's door. Darcy drops Bucky's hand and reaches up to comb her fingers through the hair along his temple. 

"You're gonna pass with flying colors, dude," she says without an ounce of hesitation, heart swelling at the way he seems to find solace in her words. His eyelids droop closed and his shoulders relax minutely as he leans into her touch.

Bucky sucks in a breath and the way it shudders as it comes out sets Darcy's heart racing. "Thing is, I'm still not convinced I'm not under already," he says, end of the sentence soft as if he hopes she won't catch it. Darcy's heart clenches in her chest and she sucks in a breath to speak. Bucky shakes his head. "It's 'cause things are so good. Too good. Worried going under will be waking up," he clarifies. Forehead dropping down to press against Darcy's, his left hand grips at her waist to pull her body closer to his. "Thing is, you make it better, doll. You make everything better."

Darcy's stomach starts doing backflip when Bucky's right hand slips into the hair at the nap of her neck. Tilting his chin forward, their mouths slot together. Darcy feels it fill her chest, pulling herself as tightly against Bucky as he will allow. Darcy works Bucky's mouth open and darts her tongue out to gently tease at Bucky's lower lip. Eliciting a shiver from him, his tongue comes out to meet hers. Bucky tastes heady, spiking Darcy's adrenaline. 

Bucky's hold on her waist tightens for a moment before he uses it to push away from her gently. Darcy makes a throaty whine and Bucky chuckles deeply. Forehead pressing back against Darcy's, he smiles, "You trying to give me something to come back for, sweetheart?" he asks softly.

"Will that help convince you this ass is real? Because I could do some things for you that your mind wouldn't possibly dream up," Darcy says.

A groan slides out of Bucky this time. "You're a dangerous dame," he says, brushing Darcy's hair back from her face and kissing her on the forehead.

Darcy shakes her head as he pulls back. "Nah," she says with a shrug. "You just gotta learn how to handle me." The words must be suitably inviting because Bucky's right hand slides down and he gives both her hips a squeeze.

Bucky is gone for all of two days when Darcy concedes to herself that she's head over heels in love with him. Within a week Bucky is cleared by the psychiatric unit in medical. Darcy doesn't see him for four days after. But she does see Steve.

"They haven't released Bucky back to the compound," Steve says one day from the door of the lab Darcy is working in.

After calming her heart from the way it tries to flee her chest when he speaks, Darcy swivels away from her computer screen and directs a stiff wave at her new guest. "Uh, hi." 

Darcy has never actually met Steve Rogers, but Bucky spends a fair amount of their time together talking about how his best friend saves him constantly. It's always gruff and matter-of-fact, but that doesn't diminish the importance. Darcy knows Steve won't be staying at the Wakandan compound long, but Jane says he came to make sure things are on track with Bucky. 

Steve ducks his head, letting out what can only be considered a self-conscious chuckle. "Sorry," he says before stepping fully into the room in all of his star-spangled glory. "I'm Steve," he says with a stiff wave of his own.

Darcy takes a moment to marvel at Captain America, the pure embodiment of hope for mankind, filling up a chunk of the lab space. Then, with a grounding shake of her head, she stands.

"Darcy," she says, extending a hand to him. "Nice to meet you."

Steve graces her with one of his famed megawatt smiles and takes the outstretched hand for a shake. Formalities accomplished, Darcy moves back to her computer desk and gestures to the empty chair across from her. Steve takes a seat, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Bucky talks about you," he says bluntly, motioning toward Darcy with both hands before clasping them together.

Darcy can feel the blush climb up her body. "Oh yeah?" she says, shifting her gaze down to the floor as she considers the kinds of information someone like Bucky might share with his bestie Steve.

"Oh yeah," Steve says, laughter in his voice. Darcy's gaze immediately shoots back to his face at the comment. "Nothing private," Steve says quickly, his own face taking on a pinkish quality as he releases his hands to clearly give a comment erasing wave. Sitting back in the chair, Steve taps his fingers on his thighs. "More like, when he's gonna see you or, uh, if he thinks he's come on too strong."

It's Darcy's turn to laugh. "He likes to be clear about his feelings, huh," she says, thinking about some of the comments Bucky has made to her that some might perceive as coming on strong. Darcy just appreciates Bucky's complete lack of bullshit.

Steve shakes his head. "See, that's new," he starts but then shakes his head. "Wait, no, I take that back. It's not new. But he hasn't been that way since we were, well, since _before_."

Ah, the _before_. Before war and experiments and frozen men. Before memory altering and bionic limbs. Bucky doesn't really talk about the before. Darcy gets the impression he will when he's ready.

At Darcy's silence, Steve shifts back and forth in his seat. "Sorry, I don't mean to -- "

"No, no," Darcy says quickly, sitting up straighter in her chair. "It's good, it's…" she trails off, thoughtful. "When Captain America tells you you might be having a good influence on his best friend, it's hard to feel totally uncomfortable about it."

Steve smiles again and it confirms that Darcy correctly interpreted his words.

Clearing his throat, Steve shrugs. "Anyway," he says a little awkwardly. "He asked me to tell you they haven't released him back to the compound."

"Oh," Darcy says, drawing out the 'o', now understanding the suddenness of Steve's appearance. 

"Yeah," he says, nodding. "Let's just say he's not happy about the delay." Steve pauses, seemingly trying to decide if he's gonna say his next sentence. "And his unhappiness isn't exactly speeding up the process," he says finally.

Darcy's eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. "Oh," she says again. 

Steve barks out a laugh this time, dragging a hand down his face. "He's had a bit of a temper these last few years."

Darcy sucks her bottom lip between her teeth to gnaw at the skin, a bad habit she can't seem to break. "Should I be worried about that at all?" she asks honestly because she gets the impression Steve won't tiptoe around the subject of Bucky.

Relief rolls through her when Steve's smile doesn't falter. "I genuinely don't think so."

Darcy believes him.

When Bucky finally gets approved to return to the compound, Darcy gets a message from Steve on an internal system letting her know when and where. Steve isn't at the compound any more, having been called back to upstate New York for something that seemed pretty damn important, but he wants to make sure Bucky is greeted with a friendly face.

Always the people pleaser, Darcy shows up to the designated bay with a coffee the size of her head and a smile almost as big. As soon as Bucky sees Darcy it seems like every ounce of tension seeps out of his body.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bucky says, exhaustion clear in his tone as he walks toward her.

Darcy extends the coffee to him. "There you go again," she teases. "Next you're gonna tell me you missed my gams."

Taking the coffee from her, Bucky shakes his head. "That is a quality observation. Don't knock it, punk."

Then he's crowding into her space and settling a free hand on her lower back. When their mouths meet Darcy breathes out a contented sigh. Bucky's lips are warm and just a little chapped. 

The kiss doesn't have a chance to deepen before Bucky is leaning back. Darcy's fingers are clutched at his sides, intent on keeping him from going far. Which seems fine by Bucky because he only leans back enough to take a sip from the cup. Darcy arches an eyebrow at him when a moan falls from his lips.

Bucky shrugs, catching the movement. "They don't have any coffee over in the medical building," he says.

Darcy gasps mockingly and Bucky pinches her in the side. Squirming away, Darcy smacks him in the left shoulder and ignores how solid the metal is under her palm. "I need to get back to the lab," Darcy says begrudgingly when she's put a modicum of distance between herself and Bucky's intoxicating warmth. "I just wanted to welcome you back properly."

If Bucky is disappointed by her words he doesn't show it, just lifts the cup for another gulp of coffee.

Spinning on her heel, Darcy begins to leave only to be stopped by Bucky's voice around a swallow of caffeine. "I thought you said you were here to welcome me back properly?"

Smiling down at the floor, Darcy pivots and begins walking backward. "Now that was _definitely_ a line. And I meant the coffee," she says with a wink.

Only Bucky is advancing on Darcy, one of his long strides easily matching two of her backward shuffles. Reaching her, his left arm snakes around her waist. Even with the coffee cup still in his right hand, Bucky has no trouble hauling Darcy against his body. Bucky straightens up and Darcy is lifted off the floor as the two meet in a searing kiss. The first one was 'Hello' but this one is purely 'I fucking missed you'.

Lips parting and tongues coming together, Darcy feels the action down to her toes.

Distantly Darcy can hear the echo of laughter from the other side of the bay, but with the way Bucky licks into her mouth she'll be damned if she cares.

"I hope you know you're putting on a show for security." Okoye's voice cuts deftly through the haze and Bucky chuckles as Darcy freezes against him. If Okoye is in the bay, that means the laughter was…

"Jesus, Bucky," Darcy says after pulling back less than a centimetre. "Is there a king watching us make out?"

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Lewis," King T'Challa says from the same direction as Okoye. Darcy isn't positive, but she imagines her face has gone fire alarm red.

Bucky presses a swift but tender kiss to Darcy's cheek before setting her back on her feet. He doesn't seem particularly concerned by the presence in the bay but the smile he directs at her has turned weary.

"Go ahead, get back to the lab. I'll check in with you later," he says softly, unwinding his arm from around her body and jerking his head in the direction of a door that leads back to the research labs.

Darcy furrows her eyebrows at the way Bucky's body has started to stiffen. It's a stark contrast to T'Challa and Okoye's relaxed stances. "Okay…" she says slowly, drawing out the word.

Turning again, Darcy starts to walk away.

"Have dinner with me tonight?" Bucky calls suddenly from behind her. 

Darcy doesn't pause her stride and she doesn't swivel fully this time. "Of course," she replies over her shoulder, directing a quick smile at all in the bay before going through the door.

Darcy will ask Bucky later what the fuck is going on that had him so affectionate and twitchy.

Only the question flies out of her head when Bucky shows up at her door that evening. He's dressed in dark washed jeans and a soft looking grey long sleeved henley with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His hair is pulled back at the midpoint of his skull, highlighting his angular jaw and cheek bones.

"Uh, dude, did someone dress you?" Because Darcy hasn't seen him in anything but sweats or combat gear since she's been here.

Ducking his head forward, Bucky's sheepish smile is for once not obscured by his hair. "I know how to dress like a person. I just don't get a lot of opportunities."

"This is opportunity day?" Darcy asks with a raised eyebrow and a little smirk. "Is something special about today? Something to celebrate?" Her voice is teasing but there's true curiosity to her words. 

Bucky shrugs, "Missed you, darlin'." The reply is soft but matter of fact. 

Darcy's smirk slides into a full smile. "I missed you too. Which is why…" She lets the end of her sentence trail off as she snags Bucky's left hand and tugs him through the apartment door. Bucky's eyebrows go up into his hairlines, but he follows Darcy into the space. Once they're inside he sees it immediately. The kitchen table is set and there's food cooling on the counter. "Er, yeah, I attempted to cook but then I ended up ordering in."

The smile Bucky gives her is so genuine and serene it immediately calms any doubts she had about this particular plan. 

Except they don't make it to dinner until much later in the evening. Because Bucky crowds into Darcy's space just moments after she shuts the front door and sets on the task of kissing her until she forgets her own name. And man does he show promise in task accomplishment. They end up on the couch with Bucky slotted between Darcy's thighs. Fully clothed and grinding against each other like teenagers. Darcy loves every second of it and comes biting down on the junction at Bucky’s neck just to prove it. The look of pride on Bucky at just what his hips can do when used correctly sets Darcy into a fit of giggles once he’s pulled back to look at her face.

“Hey!” he says incredulously, hips still canting shallowly between her legs like he doesn’t want to stop. At his incredulity, Darcy barks out another laugh and reaches a hand down between them. Bucky comes in his pants as soon as Darcy’s hand grazes him through the fabric and her smile turns devilish. “Hey,” he repeats afterward, but this time he sounds like he couldn’t actually care less.

Neither make to get up, clearly choosing to ignore the mess seeping through the fabric between them for the time being. Bucky does shift off Darcy so he’s mostly laying next to her and Darcy slots a leg between his when she turns on her side to face him.

Taking in the face in front of her, Darcy notes how peaceful Bucky seems after he lets his eyes drift closed. “Tired?” She murmurs. 

Bucky smiles in reply but doesn’t open his eyes. “I think I might actually be dead,” he says softly before snaking a hand up to poke her in the side. “Pretty sure no one else has…” Bucky clears his throat but it must be mostly for show because he still doesn’t open his eyes. “‘Taken care’ of me in about thirty years.” 

“Only thirty?” Darcy asks, idly wondering who might have bed a homicidal killing machine in the other forty and so odd years.

Bucky shrugs. “Different practices over the years. Different requirements.” The reply is so terse that Darcy feels disgust roll through her gut. Not at Bucky. Never at Bucky. In reply, she combs fingers through his now loose hair. The tie must have gotten lost during their time on the couch. Bucky breathes out a contented sigh, relaxing in a way that makes Darcy realize she hadn’t even felt him tense.

“So here’s what I’m thinking,” Darcy says after a few minutes of silence. “Why don’t we peel ourselves apart and eat some of this wicked food while watching a movie or something. And then, big finale; you sleep in my bed tonight and I’m the big spoon.”

Bucky barks out his own laugh, finally tugging his eyes open. “Doll, that might be the best plan I’ve ever heard.” As Bucky tucks hair behind Darcy’s ear and looks at her like she’s the most magical thing in the room, she feels herself actually starting to believe she might in fact have found someone that wants to be with her for more than just a night.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: As with the first part, this isn't beta'd. So please feel free to lemme know if any errors stick out to you. <3 <3


End file.
